Komoka Kings, London Nationals aim to continue stirring playoff runs

London Nationals' assistant coach Jeff Bradley lays out a strategy on a board during a practice Tuesday as the team gets ready to face the LaSalle Vipers in the second round of the GOJHL playoffs. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)

The playoffs are all about breakdowns. You hope to cause them, not get caught up in them.

That’s how sixth-seeded Komoka took down the favoured Chatham Maroons in a surprising five games during the opening round of the Junior B playoffs.

“You see their goaltending switching up and people on their team getting mad at each other,” Kings captain Joel Mazzilli, a Lambeth native, said. “You know there are problems going on and we’ve got to just keep going.

“After the first game, we believed it was possible. No one sat back and when you’re playing with a group that sticks together, it’s fun. You’re enjoying winning and that’s all it is.”

They have the first-place Leamington Flyers up next, starting Thursday.

Chatham Maroons’ Brett Fisher (20) and Komoka Kings’ Dowson Zheng (8) battle for the puck in front of Kings goalie Owen Say in the third period at Chatham Memorial Arena in Chatham earlier this month. (Postmedia Network file photo)

This is new terrain for Komoka. The franchise, previously known as the Lambton Shores Predators, hasn’t been this far since its Petrolia Jets days 13 years ago.

“I think it really will help in recruiting down the road here in this off-season,” Kings coach Ron Horvat said. “When you’re where the Kings had been — at or near the bottom of the league year after year — it’s tough to recruit. But finishing sixth, not too far out of fifth, and this result shows the club is doing the right things.

“Roop (Kings owner and GM Roop Chanderdat) is good to the kids and all the little things are in place (to succeed).”

Komoka has becoming an important breeding ground for the OHL’s London Knights. Three youngsters — goalie Owen Say, Dario Beljo, Chase Strychalak — stood out in the Chatham upset.

“We’re really happy with their progress,” Horvat said. “We talk to the Knights continuously and they watch us a lot. They see the development. We have (veteran) Ryan McAllister playing in the middle of Chase and Dario and it’s been a real good line the past month.”

Leamington, like the London Nationals, knows how to take advantage of their oversized ice at home. The Flyers have been nearly unbeatable in their own rink this year.

“They’re very quick and play a real sound game,” Horvat said. “They play in their lanes and move the puck across the ice, so we have to be on the backcheck. We played them tough all year, but every game, a span of five or eight minutes burned us. That’s why they finished first.

“They play a consistent 60 every night. You can’t have any down time.”

FULL STRENGTH: The Nationals won their first-round set over St. Thomas without a few key components.

Riley MacRae, a trusted scorer, sat out the entire series because of injury. Captain Kyle Dawson returned for Game 5 and ex-Star Adam Keyes is eligible after serving his two-game suspension for a checking from behind major penalty.

“MacRae is back practising and we’ll see how he is,” London GM/coach Pat Powers said. “I anticipate him getting in this series and we’ll see when that is. Dawson feels good. He wanted to get in after we lost Game 4 in St. Thomas and if the captain wants in and he’s cleared to play, you’re going to let him play.”

So it doesn’t look like LaSalle Vipers, the Nationals’ next opponent, will get the same breaks they did in sweeping Sarnia. The Legionnaires were a banged-up crew and couldn’t live up to their No. 4 seed.

The Nationals know exactly what it takes to win these kinds of series. They have made the second round 12 consecutive years and they’re the three-time defending conference champs.

They buried St. Thomas on home ice, holding the Stars to a measly seven shots in the first two periods of the Game 5 clincher.

“St. Thomas played us hard,” Powers said. “They were physical and it was a good series for us to get through fairly unscathed. LaSalle is a transition team and they love to rush. They don’t want to give you time to breathe. There is always someone chasing you and we’ll have our hands full with their speed and tenacity.”

If they limit their breakdowns and stick together, the Nats have a good chance to survive. They’re built for the long run.

GOJHL PLAYOFFS

Western Conference second-round

(2) London vs. (5) LaSalle

Game 1: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Western Fair.

How they got here: London beat St. Thomas in five games. LaSalle swept Sarnia in four.

Nationals: Christian Polillo led the charge with five goals and 10 points against St. Thomas . . . James Turner racked up seven goals, including a hat trick in the series clincher . . . Wes Dobbin scored two game winners.

Vipers: Veteran Brett Vorshuk had four goals and nine points against the Legionnaires . . . Windsor third-rounder Dylan Robinson, 16, had a game winner and eight points in first round . . . Goalie Will Tragge won the road games and fellow American Jackson Bernard took care of business at home.

The matchup: Nationals won four of six regular-season meetings.

(1) Leamington vs (6) Komoka

Game 1: Thursday, 7 p.m. at Leamington.

How they got here: The Flyers bounced back from slow start to beat Strathroy in five. The Kings stunned the Maroons in five, winning all three at imposing Chatham Memorial Arena.

Flyers: Both of Thomas Michaud’s goals against the Rockets were winners. He had seven points in the series . . . Wyatt O’Neill scored in Strathroy in Game 2 in overtime to prevent Leamington from falling two games behind . . . Zach Borgiel had a 1.57 goals against average and .935 save percentage in the five games.

Kings: Captain Joel Mazzilli and Jacob Rochford both had three goals and eight points in first round . . . Western Michigan University commit Ryan McAllister scored twice on the power play against Chatham . . . Knights draft pick Owen Say won three games and had a 2.67 goals against average in a high-scoring series.

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